Parvo cases spike at Doña Ana County animal shelter

Officials urge residents to get puppies properly vaccinated

Las Cruces >> Cases of parvo, a potentially fatal illness to puppies and dogs, have spiked in recent weeks at the Doña Ana County animal shelter, officials said.

As a result, officials are urging residents to make sure their young puppies are on a vaccination regimen, which protects against the disease.

"It's daily," said shelter Director Beth Vesco-Mock. "We're single a parvo (case) every single day."

Vesco-Mock said puppies that contract the virus -- even though it's treatable -- are euthanized at the shelter because the facility doesn't have enough resources or a place to separate them from the rest of the dogs to keep them from also getting sick.

Young puppies are especially vulnerable because they don't have immunity to the virus, Vesco-Mock said. In some instances, a mother dog that's been vaccinated against the disease can transmit some of that immunity to puppies, she said. But many of the puppies arriving at the shelter aren't from mothers that were vaccinated.

Main symptoms of parvo are lethargy, severe vomiting, loss of appetite and bloody, foul-smelling diarrhea that can "lead to life-threatening dehydration," according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals website.

August spike

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The shelter, 3551 Bataan Memorial West, tends to see spikes in parvo each spring and fall, Vesco-Mock said. The timing of spikes tends to vary from one part of the country to the next, she said.

Parvo has long been a problem in the county, but this year's strain seems to be more deadly to puppies than in the past, Vesco-Mock said.

"They're crashing very quickly," she said.

On average, there were about 12 parvo-positive dogs euthanized per month in 2012 at the shelter, according to numbers from the Animal Service Center of the Mesilla Valley. The 2013 average so far is just slightly higher. But nearly one-third of the 99 cases to date this year have happened in August, according to the numbers.

Veterinarian Elizabeth Carver, who runs the mobile Mesquite Vaccination Clinic, said she hasn't noticed as many parvo cases this year as in the past, possibly because the strain is more deadly and so puppies are dying before people even have a chance to call a veterinarian. But the past week, there's been an increase, she said.

"I've seen quite a few," said Carver, whose practice focuses upon affordable vaccinations.

Objects and patches of earth that have been in contact with a sick puppy can transmit the virus even years later to another dog, Vesco-Mock said. That's why it's important for dog owners to have puppies properly vaccinated, she said. And pet owners who have ever had a dog with parvo should take special precaution, she said.

"If you've had a parvo-positive puppy in your yard, you should never bring a puppy into that yard ever again," she said.

The cost of the needed series of parvo vaccinations varies from veterinarian to veterinarian, officials said. The frequency of the shots and the age at which a puppy gets its first vaccination also varies, Vesco-Mock said.

"They need to discuss that with their vet because every vet has their own protocols," she said.

Treatment possible

Once a puppy or older dog catches the virus and starts showing parvo symptoms, it can be treated, but the animal is also at risk of dying, Vesco-Mock said. Dog owners should take their pet immediately to a veterinarian once they see signs, such as lethargy, she said.

There's no way to fight the virus itself, but experts will treat the symptoms, Vesco-Mock said.